17 May, 2011
The Body
It is said that one cold and gloomy day, Dwight L. Moody visited a man who had expressed some interest at one of Moody’s meetings. Moody was ushered into a comfortable room with a fire blazing on the hearth. After some gracious preliminary conversation, the man began to argue that it was possible for a person to be a Christian without participating in the life of the church. As he made his elaborate and detailed arguments, Moody leaned forward in his chair, took the poker and pulled a flaming coal from the fire out onto the stone hearth. Moody watched as the coal slowly dimmed and went out. He then turned and looked at the man, without saying anything. After a long pause, the man said, “Mr. Moody, you have made your point!”
Excerpted from "Invitation to a Journey" by M. Robert Mulholland Jr.
Image courtesy of Google images
1 Corinthians 12:14-20, 27
“Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many. Now if the foot should say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,’ it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. And if the ear should say, ‘Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,’ it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body… Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.”
What does God’s Story scripture teach us about the body of believers?
What happens to a part of the human physical body if it is not connected to the whole? It cannot survive. God has created the church in the same way. As those who believe in Christ and put our faith in Him, we are essential to one another. God has given each person different personality and strength and ability, and we are told to use those things to benefit one another. No one can survive alone. We need each other to encourage, correct, build up, keep accountable, rejoice, and mourn.
How can I connect today’s God’s Story scripture to my life?
Are you connected to The Body of believers? Do you have a group of Christ-followers who help you grow in your faith? If not, perhaps you need to discover what gifts God has given you so that you can be the one to reach out to others and challenge them in their growth. If your coal is not in the fire, how do you keep burning?
How can I connect today’s God’s Story scripture and my story to others?
It’s a reality that the church is made up of sinful people (that’s all of us!), and as a result some people have given up on church altogether. Do you know someone who has, or someone who wants to give up on church? Find a way to tell them the story of D.L. Moody and the coal on the hearth. Challenge them to find a healthy body of believers where they can both use the gifts God has given them as well as be encouraged by others toward a stronger life in Christ.
- May 2012 [14]
- April 2012 [19]
- March 2012 [21]
- February 2012 [19]
- January 2012 [18]
- December 2011 [20]
- November 2011 [15]
- October 2011 [15]
- September 2011 [14]
- August 2011 [22]
- July 2011 [19]
- June 2011 [21]
- May 2011 [20]
- April 2011 [20]
- March 2011 [21]
- February 2011 [20]
- January 2011 [21]
- December 2010 [21]
- November 2010 [21]
- October 2010 [21]
- September 2010 [22]
- August 2010 [21]
- July 2010 [22]
- June 2010 [20]
- May 2010 [18]
- April 2010 [20]
- March 2010 [23]
- February 2010 [19]
- January 2010 [22]
- December 2009 [22]
- November 2009 [21]
- October 2009 [22]
- September 2009 [21]
- August 2009 [20]
- July 2009 [21]
- June 2009 [22]
- May 2009 [18]
- April 2009 [15]
- March 2009 [7]
- February 2009 [17]
- January 2009 [20]
- December 2008 [23]
- November 2008 [19]
- October 2008 [22]
- September 2008 [22]
- August 2008 [19]
- July 2008 [22]
- June 2008 [11]
- May 2008 [19]
- April 2008 [22]
- March 2008 [21]
- February 2008 [18]
- January 2008 [20]
- December 2007 [18]
- November 2007 [15]
- October 2007 [19]
- September 2007 [18]
- August 2007 [12]
- July 2007 [12]
- June 2007 [9]
- May 2007 [11]
- April 2007 [10]
- March 2007 [11]
- February 2007 [14]
- January 2007 [7]
- December 2006 [4]
- November 2006 [13]
- October 2006 [17]
- September 2006 [11]
- August 2006 [16]
- July 2006 [10]
- June 2006 [3]
